For a long time, I've known a young man by the name of Drew, or maybe Jude, I can't remember. Either way he is my best friend from Oklahoma (which sucks by the way, not Drewella but Oklahoma). What Jared and I had in common was our sense of humor and common hatred for our job at the time. From this came many moments of laughter, a few man tears, an occasion where I could have lost an eye due to extreme pointing, and a mind- link in the game of charades that could be said to border both magic and insanity in some fantasy realm where those two paths are very close to each other and easily crossable. Since that time I have moved back to my home state of Texas to start my new life, leaving Frank to fend for himself.
Recently, there was a wedding in which I was the groom. Among grooms there are men; among these men there is but one "best" man. This man is there to take control in case the groom gets shot or something; I have no clue. When I was thinking of my best man, I was not only thinking of who I would like beside me to use as a human shield in said shooting scenario, but I did not have access to a general worksheet that describes how to choose a best man. I suppose a test of who can hold the ring "the best" would suffice, but I never looked for a rule book on how to judge the grasp pressure or holding etiquette of selected men, nor would I feel comfortable asking my groomsmen to show me their "grip strength and handling techniques".
So I thought to myself, "what will I need in case I get nervous, or "the jitters"", and I said to myself "wait, when have I ever gotten THAT nervous?" and although this statment was bold, it seems further thinking to myself led into a montage of memories (you still with me?)
What Jefferey and i had when it came down to nerves was this; we didnt get nervous, or rather we didn't LET each other get nervous. If we were excited about something we had to make it said, to let it out if you will, for example:
in a serious situation I would say:
"Hey man I think I'm gonna get fired"
Nancy would say
"That sucks, want I should take a shit on the boss's car window?"
In no way did we really proceed with committing these profane acts 2/3rds of the time, but adding a bit of humour to a serious situation lightened it for one another. This could be misdirection, the "lighter side" of a bad situation, or just goofy behavior in the most serious of moments.
I the end i knew this would be a great asset to have, plus Donald is a nice guy too!
Enter day of the wedding. After playing video games until 5 am that morning, we woke up with a few errands to knock out. While runnig these errands, Tim could see I was getting a bit nervous counting down the minutes to go time. Not nervous about if this was the right decision, but anxious if I'd be able to shine as bright as i wanted to for the beautiful girl I was going to unite with that night....and stuff.
He tried to distract me and tell me anecdotes of his son, and talk to me about the "good ol days", but it just wasnt kicking in; That is until walmart happened. Keep in mind we are still running errands when Peter opted for a photo. Not a photo one would think to commemorate his trip down to Texas for his buddy's wedding, but one to let me know everything would be all right. Looking down this Wal Mart isle with my iphone i snapped an image, we picked up the rest of our items and went off to meet my blushing bride.
Minutes before I started my last walk as a single man, I took a deep breath, saw this picture of my good friend, texted "i love you" to my sweetheart in the room behind me, and proceeded to make a great memory.
